Cheerfulness as a Life Power eBook

When a Persian king was directed by his wise men to
wear the shirt of a contented man, the only contented
man in the kingdom had no shirt. The most contented
man in Boston does not live on Commonwealth avenue
or do business on State street: he is poor and
blind, and he peddles needles and thread, buttons
and sewing-room supplies, about the streets of Boston
from house to house. Dr. Minot J. Savage used
to pity this man very much, and once in venturing
to talk with him about his condition, he was utterly
amazed to find that the man was perfectly happy.
He said that he had a faithful wife, and a business
by which he earned sufficient for his wants; and,
if he were to complain of his lot, he should feel
mean and contemptible. Surely, if there are any
“solid men” in Boston, he is one.

Content is the magic lamp, which, according to the
beautiful picture painted for us by Goethe, transforms
the rude fisherman’s hut into a palace of silver;
the logs, the floors, the roof, the furniture, everything
being changed and gleaming with new light.

“My crown is in my heart,
not on my head;
Not decked with diamonds and
Indian stones,
Nor to be seen; my crown is
called content;
A crown it is that seldom
kings enjoy.”

III. OILING YOUR BUSINESS MACHINERY.

Business is king. We often say that cotton is
king, or corn is king, but with greater propriety
we may say that the king is that great machine which
is kept in motion by the Law of Supply and Demand:
the destinies of all mankind are ruled by it.

“Were the question asked,” says Stearns,
“what is at this moment the strongest power
in operation for controlling, regulating, and inciting
the actions of men, what has most at its disposal the
condition and destinies of the world, we must answer
at once, it is business, in its various ranks and
departments; of which commerce, foreign and domestic,
is the most appropriate representation. In all
prosperous and advancing communities,—­advancing
in arts, knowledge, literature, and social refinement,—­business
is king. Other influences in society may be equally
indispensable, and some may think far more dignified,
but Business is King. The statesman and
the scholar, the nobleman and the prince, equally
with the manufacturer, the mechanic, and the laborer,
pursue their several objects only by leave granted
and means furnished by this potentate.”

Oil is better than sand for keeping this vast machinery
in good running condition. Do not shovel grit
or gravel stones upon the bearings. A tiny copper
shaving in a wheel box, or a scratch on a journal,
may set a railway train on fire. The running
of the business world is damaged by whatever creates
friction.

Anxiety mars one’s work. Nobody can do
his best when, fevered by worry. One may rush,
and always be in great haste, and may talk about being
busy, fuming and sweating as if he were doing ten men’s
duties; and yet some quiet person alongside, who is
moving leisurely and without anxious haste, is probably
accomplishing twice as much, and doing it better.
Fluster unfits one for good work.